New York (CNNMoney) – The jobs recovery is chugging along, but the labor market remains far from fully healed from the crisis.

The U.S. economy added 288,000 jobs in April, the strongest month for job growth in two years, the Department of Labor said Friday. That number blew away economists' forecasts, and stocks rose following the news, although they have since fallen back.

The oft-quoted unemployment rate fell to 6.3%, down from 6.7% in March.

The severe winter had been holding back many economic statistics, as snowstorms slowed the housing market, retail sales and manufacturing. On Friday, the jobs numbers were revised higher for both February and March, showing the economy is over that winter lull.

New York (CNNMoney) – The job market picked up more than expected in February, led by strong hiring in professional and business services.

The U.S. economy added 175,000 jobs last month, marking an improvement from January and topping economists' expectations. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate ticked up to 6.7%, from 6.6% the prior month as more Americans joined the labor force. Both numbers were reported by the Department of Labor on Friday morning.

New York (CNNMoney) – After a chilly month for job growth in December, hiring warmed up a bit in January. But not by much.

The U.S. economy added 113,000 jobs last month, according to the government. That's an improvement from December, but was far weaker than hoped. Economists had been expecting an addition of 178,000 jobs.

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